BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) — The city of Bloomington is deciding to close the Market Street Parking Garage, which has been there for over 50 years.
“We knew the garage was going to have to close eventually. We had hoped to get a few more months out of it. Unfortunately, with the situation, we weren’t,” said Jeff Jurgens, the Bloomington City Manager.
It would take between $300,000 to $400,000 to make repairs to the garage, which is the reason it is closing. The city decided to close it since they were not able to put the money into it. A few years ago, they made some repairs to the garage, but now it’s too far gone to repair.
The loss of many parking spots means less parking in downtown Bloomington, luckily the city is ahead of this problem, adding additional spots in other parts of downtown.
“We have made over 200 spots outside of the buckle free so that people can park there all day for 24 hours without having to move their car and without having to pay,” said Jurgens.
Less parking in downtown could also mean less business for some businesses in Buckle, but one shop, Crossroads Fair Trade Goods and Gifts, has no worries about the closure affecting their business.
“The city of Bloomington is making accommodations for parking. They’ve opened several lots and have changed their hours to 24-hour parking in some of the parking areas. I think we’ll be okay,” said Karlene Bledsoe, part-time manager for Crossroads.
The plans for the garage have not been finalized yet, but the city is working with Connect Transit to put in a new transfer station in place of the garage. More information about what will be taking the place of the parking deck will be coming days.
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